Interview - U-God of the Wu-Tang Clan + Rebirth Tour Dates (Winter 2010)

Gearing up for Wu-Tang Clan’s ambitious Rebirth Tour this December and January (see tour dates below), U-God offered melophobe some Shaolin advice on food and metaphysical healing.

Ian Doreian for melophobe: This is an amazing thing, Wu-Tang Clan heading back on the road once more. How do you prepare?

U-God: It’s a state of mind. You can’t jump right in it; there’s so much with getting your mind right. There’s the bus, then show, then bus, then show. It’s tough on the mind and body. 

melophobe: What does that mean for you physically?

U-God: I’m in with the weights a lot right now. I pump that iron before going out. [Touring] puts a whole stress on you. You need to be strong.

melophobe: Have there been injuries with previous tours?

U-God: All kinds. There was falling off a stage and fracturing my leg. Need to take this MSM [Methylsulfonylmethane] to get the joints all healed. I went to the hospital with bronchitis. It’s a battle when you’re on tour. 

melophobe: So why do you do it?

U-God: Because I’m a warrior! For sixteen years, I’ve been doing this. It’s who I am. It’s good to be back with my brothers, to be connected. Read books, chill. Out with a tour, you see, feel, hear what people are living. You bring this back into the music, taking the atmosphere of each place.

melophobe: How is it touring through places far from home, like in Europe last summer?

U-God: Wu-Tang can tent up anywhere; we just set up. The main thing in Europe is the food. Crazy, but it’s all different; it tastes better, real. You taste it, and it’s all just fresh. The bread is so good. 

melophobe: Any places that stand out for the food?

U-God: Italy, Spain, far parts of Germany, Scotland. Americans do anything to food to get it here. We have that hemorrhoid, steroid stuff pumped into our food. Over there, when you bite into a tomato, it tastes like a tomato.

melophobe: This interview is making me hungry; glad my wife is cooking up some chicken. I’m ready to eat.

U-God: Do that. Remember, run some hot water over that chicken, 30 seconds, get it all cleaned before cooking. All that cancer, bacteria shit needs to be washed. 

melophobe: Makes me wonder if Whole Foods is going to sponsor the next tour?

U-God: Serious, our food is all messed up. In Europe, they don’t have problems with food like in America. 

melophobe: It’s amazing that Wu-Tang has been together for all these years. Any thoughts on how that can happen?

U-God: There are no groups in rap. Name some hip-hop group. There’s just nothing there. We step out as one, and it’s a powerful thing. We come together, we unite, our minds are together, we move as one. That’s Wu-Tang. 

melophobe: Groups don’t often work in rap with all the egos.

U-God: It’s not all good. There are forces of evil that make it hard. We do have our egos. There are some egos in Wu-Tang. I’m the type of dude to get over ego, humble myself. Know when to let it go, you know? It comes, I think, from how we came up. Growing up, most of us in Staten Island and Brooklyn, you needed to stay together to survive, to eat. There’s the stay together where you protect each other; then there’s the take over part. It’s in our past. A muthafucka come on our side, muthafucka need to leave. When you need to eat, that’s how it works. It’s embedded in our DNA, no turning it on and off. 

melophobe: Do you enjoy the grind of a tour more than the grind in a studio?

U-God: Actually, I love the recording part. Working with the production, bringing my pages to the studio and matching the rhythmic pattern, words and the beat together. 

melophobe: What producers do you most want to work with?

U-God: First, RZA. He’s number one. Then Kanye. There are lots of people I’d like to work with and their beats. Now I’m like low man on the totem pole. I need to get recognized for my lyrics, and then I’ll be able to work with them.

melophobe: On Kanye, any thoughts on all the hype surrounding his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy?

U-God: Kanye needs to know how much power he has. George Bush has his name in his mouth - that’s influence. If I had two or three words with Kanye, I’d tell him to watch out. Be aware of all that can be done for the betterment of the community. He can do that, make the whole Black community come together.

melophobe: Back to producers, how has work for Shaolin vs. Wu Tang been going? 

U-God: That’s Rae’s joint. If he gives me the call, I’m all there with bells and whistles. 

melophobe: You mentioned books as something you have with you on tour. What are you reading?

U-God: You can call me something like a librarian, I guess. Too many books - mostly books on the brain, energy transfer, metaphysical science.

melophobe: Heavy reading.

U-God: I’ve been into the brain, how it works, how there is healing with sending energy. Last week, I had to take my uncle into the hospital. He was with his wife for fifteen years, and then he got caught stealing from her. She left, and I think his sickness is from being alone. I think all these old folks being by themselves, it gives them sickness. So I visit with him, and he feels better. I can see it when I’m there. It brought his soul up. The books, they talk about all this, things about dealing with pain.

melophobe: You mentioned childhood experiences, and there’s been attention on how kids go through some form of PTSD after facing violence.

U-God: There’s a lot of skin I needed to shed, just keep it moving. Deep emotional scars, not going to open it all up, but just face it and move on. Black people, to be as one, that’s where some of the violence can stop. 

melophobe: Do you feel some responsibility with your music?

U-God: There’s the need to lift, to be together. It pisses me off when rappers act street when they’re not. Rap hard, but all fabricated? I made music to get out of the street, and these rappers bring the street into the music. No need. 

melophobe: At melophobe, we encourage people to listen to all kinds of music without fear. Is there anything that you fear? I mean, something that makes you---

U-God: ---punk asses, muthafuckas want to get badges and shut down rap. Following us, locking us up. That drug shit is over, hunting down guys, making the front page over it. I hate that. 

melophobe: I don’t quite understand.

U-God: Look at T.I.: followed and arrested.

melophobe: Oh, like Wiz Khalifa.

U-God: I tell them to know better. Don’t lose yourself. Pull back. 

melophobe: You’ve been kind with your time. We’re looking forward to the Wu-Tang show in Boston next month.

U-God: Love Beantown! 

melophobe: Peace.

December 2010/January 2011 Tour Dates:

12/02 – San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
12/04 – San Diego, CA @ 4th & B
12/05 – Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
12/08 – Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity
12/10 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
12/12 – Houston, TX @ Numbers
12/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage Theatre
12/17 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva
12/18 – Falls Church, VA @ The State
12/19 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
12/20 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
12/21 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
12/22 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theater
12/23 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
12/26 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
12/27 – Albany NY @ Northern Lights
12/28 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
12/29 – New York, NY @ Best Buy Theatre
12/30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
12/31 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theater
01/01 – Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman
01/05 – Louisville, KY @ Expo Center
01/08 – Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
01/09 – Minneapolis, MN @ Epic

Some Related Entries:

Interview - Carney (Spring 2010)

Interview - Colin Stetson (Boston, MA; Spring 2009)

Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)

Interview - Local Natives (Summer, 2010)

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